Realistic Fiction
Choose from titles published since 2000 that are in the realistic fiction genre. The titles do not have to be on the awards lists but that is always a good place to start. Books the kids call "drama" would be good choices, if you can get your hands on one.
Step 1: You may copy and paste the format given on the introduction page, then fill it in below.
Step 2: For comments on this title, go to the space.discussion page (see list on left side of the screen) and tell why your title fits in the realistic fiction genre.

Format for book reviews
Judy Oakley
Inside Out by Terry Trueman> HarperCollins Children's Books>2003
Summary: Zach, a sixteen-year-old diagnosed with schizophrenia, gets caught in the literal and metaphorical crossfire of an armed robbery of the coffee shop where he is waiting after school for his mother to bring him his medicine. The robbers, young brothers aged sixteen and fourteen, are armed, desperate, and inexperienced. When a passerby calls the authorities, the situation becomes quite complex. The only weapons that Zach possesses are his innocence and his "quirky" mind.
Grade level: middle school
Uses: individual reading, and read aloud
Subject tie-in:

• Literature
• science
• other: psychology

High yield strategy for reading skill development:

1. inference
2. cause and effect
3. point of view
4. theme

Comments: See the space.discussion page.

Jean Downey
Zen And The Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick>Scholastic Press>2007
Summary: San Lee is the new kid in town and struggling to create an identiy for himself after a forced move. In the process of coming up with a way to ingratiate himself at his new school Stan sets himself up as a Zen master. He finds that to keep up his facade he is continually reading and learning about Zen philosophies and ideas. People are attracted to the ideas San professess to have and they are disappointed when he turns out to be a fake. However, both San and his friends seem to have picked up on some positive ways of being as a result of San's identiy exploration.
Grade level: 6-12
Uses: individual reading
Subject tie-in:

• Literature
• psychology
• philosopy

High yield strategy for reading skill development:

1. inference
2. cause and effect
3. point of view
4. theme
5. summarizing for comprehension

Comments: This is a reasonable casual reading book for this age group.
Optional: comment for page history



Jean White
Black Mirror by Nancy Werlin/Dial Books/2001
Summary: Of Japanese-Jewish heritage, 16 year old Francis is insecure and unsettled in who she is. On top of this she has difficulty dealing with her brother, Daniel’s death from a heroin overdose at their private boarding school, Pettengill. Francis, trying to ‘understand’ and get closer to her brother, decides to get involved with "Unity", a charitable organization where Daniel was an active member. What she ‘uncovers’ is disturbing and puts her in danger.
Grade level: High
Uses: individual reading
Subject tie-in: English, Life Skills
High Yield Stategy for Reading Skill Development:

1. inference
2. cause and effect
3. point of view
4. author's purpose
5. summarizing for comprehension

Comments: This was a difficult book to finish – the topics of drugs and suicide were not appealing. All reviews praise this book: "well-written and masterfully developed novel; a can't-put-it-down mystery thriller; well-constructed mystery; thrilling." I found it hard to pick up and only found it intriguing in the last 40-50 pages. Most reviews indicate the book is for Gr 7 and up. I feel the topic is for more mature audience (high school) and not middle school.

Heather Barto Wiley
Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
Summary: Watch out Manhattan, Gossip Girl is watching out for you. Gossip Girl is the mysterious Manhattanite who keeps a blog about all the teens in New York City's Upper East Side. The blog exploits and reveals the teens and keeps everyone on his or her toes. The story focuses on a group of teens who are mostly seniors at their boarding schools. We observe them drink, smoke, have sex, lie, and cheat each other all in the name of fun.
Grade level: high school
Uses: individual reading
Subject tie-in:

• Literature - the struture of the novel is interesting as it uses the blog between chapters to keep us guessing about what will happen next
• Teen living
• other: psychology - how are the lives of these teens different from teens in our school?

High yield strategy for reading skill development:

1. inference
2. cause and effect
3. point of view
4. theme

Comments: The book was a fast read, but I would never teach it as a class novel. The language is suggestive, and von Ziegesar leaves little to the imagination when it comes to the teen debauchary. A lot of students are interested in these novels as the popular tv show of the same name is based on them.

Bruce Moss
“Rules of Survival” by Nancy Werlin, Penguin, N.Y.; 2006.
Three children grow up in Boston under an unpredictable and abusive mother. They befriend an older man (named Murdoch) whom they project as substitute Dad and protector. He too becomes entangled with the mother who uses him against the children. The children live in constant fear of what their mother will do next.
This is an insightful novel about familial abuse and what children do to protect each other against mental and physical tortures. This is a revealing look at self-reliance among siblings.
· The author’s point of view is to reveal how children often suffer at the hands of those who claim to love or should love and protect them.
· Themes of survival and role-playing among family members.
Book was slow in establishing plot and frequently switched venues and time periods. I would recommend book for counselors to help students in possible abusive situations.


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